The macro system in FFXIV is similar to that of XI, and a lot of the same commands have carried over. The macro palette is divided into two sets, CTRL and ALT, each with five rows of ten slots, for a grand total of 100 preset macros.
Using macros can greatly simplify the cluttered interface of Final Fantasy XIV, as you can perform actions quickly and without digging through menus. You can also string multiple commands together for perfect timing or the ability to do or change many things at once.
Changing Classes, Equipment, and Actions:
In this example the macro changes classes into a Conjurer. By changing the equipment in your "main" hand you effectively change classes. To change your offhand item you need to use the word "sub" in your macro, as seen above. And every word in a piece of equipment's name needs to be capitalized, even if the item name doesn't appear capitalized in your inventory (i.e. Square Ash Shield).
The /eaction macro (short for /equipaction) changes an action you have assigned to your action palette. In the above example the action "Fire" is assigned to the sixth slot of the action palette. Note that the slots in the action palette are divided into three rows, 1-10 for the first, then 11-20 for the next, and 21-30 for the last row.
Armor can be equipped just the same as weapons. Using the above example as a reference, you can just use the /equip macro and substitute "main" or "sub" with the armor or gear location. Again, always make sure names of equipment, spell, or actions are capitalized and in quotes.
Macro Equipment Slots:
There are button inputs on the action palette that pop up in combat in Final Fantasy XIV, and you can use them to perform any action your character is able to, but macros allow you to do things quicker, and with less clutter. The basic formula for a combat macro is :
/ac “Skill Name” < t >
< t > - Performs the selected action on the eligible target.
< st > - Selects a sub-target that is different from your regular target.
< me > - Selects yourself for the target. Make sure to use this sub-command for all self-casting abilities.
It is not necessary to use one action at a time; they can stack within the same macro (remember, you have 10 lines of code per macro slot). For example, here is a macro for Lancer that uses a couple buffs and then attacks:
/ac "Ferocity" < me >
/ac "Speed Surge" < me >
/ac "Doomspike" < t >
This macro uses the buffs Ferocity and Speed Surge before using Doomspike on the selected target. Be sure to order your commands accordingly; everything happens in the order that it is listed.
For Disciples of Magic combat macros (and macros in general, for that matter) are very important. The menu that pops up asking the player if they want to cast a spell as "Area of Effect" or "Select a Target" can get in the way and be extremely annoying. Here is an example macro that utilizes the /aoe command to avoid needing to use that frustrating menu.
The first line uses the /aoe command once, which toggles Area of Effect on. The next line uses the action "Fire" on < st >, or a selected target (manually selected after macro is activated in combat). The target could be < t > instead, if you prefer, but I like to always be able to adjust my target as conveniently as possible. The next two lines are to toggle Area of Effect back off--waiting five seconds lets Square's servers digest the fact that you toggled AOE on in the first place. If you don't wait at least five seconds then the second /aoe command might not take effect.
Here is a sample list of basic macro commands in the game (click here for full list) :